Mighty Joe Young (1949)

Nostalgic fun

Before CGI, there was Ray Harryhausen, it is fun to watch the special effects as well as facial expressions from this animated ape. Fun story and a cameo with a young Irene Ryan, Granny from the Beverly Hillbillies, in the club scene by the bar. I first saw this on TV as a kid and still enjoy it today. April 13, 2008

A delightful classic

The same crew that brought us the original King Kong must have decided it was something of a downer, so they offered us a different, more upbeat (and very funny) variation on the theme, complete with happy ending.

Mighty Joe is a huge 2000-pound gorilla, raised as an orphan by a human girl companion. Joe is no King Kong, he's a gentle, good-natured giant.

One of Ray Harryhausen's first stop-motion projects, Joe's expressive face and mannerisms - body language, personality quirks and the like - make for the most believable stop-motion gorilla on film.

(spoilers):

Mighty Joe and the girl get "discovered" and end up as a truly remarkable act in an African-themed 'coconut grove' night club, complete with a dozen African lions behind glass partitions..

It doesn't take long for a pair of drunks from the audience decide to go backstage to Mighty Joe's pen and introduce him to the joys of alcoholic intoxication, leading to what may be the single most outrageous scene ever filmed.

The ensuing "giant-gorilla-on-the-loose" scene pulls all the stops: A drunken, berserk Mighty Joe proceeds to demolish the night club, throwing lions around as the audience scrambles for the exits. The stop-motion Mighty Joe is, of course, throwing stop-motion lions, but those are real, live lions we see flying about, crashing into tables and running off!
This has got to be the only film where you can actually see live, very-confused 500-pound African lions being catapulted across the room into furniture!

Everything works out for the best, of course. Plenty of good gags and cute touches, fun for adults and kids alike. March 28, 2008

Mighty Joe Young

This movie was excellent. It reminded of my youth. I am proud to add it to my video collection. Even though it's in Black and white, it's a good DVD. I give it 5 stars.


September 22, 2007

If You Liked King Kong (1933), You'll Like This

"Mighty Joe Young" was a very entertaining film with a surprising amount of action. In fact, the last third to last half of this film is just about non-stop. it reminded me of King Kong, of course with a big age being brought to New York City for display and then things going haywire. This movie, however, has a happier ending than "Kong," although it doesn't look like that will be the case near the end. It turns to be a very suspenseful movie in that last 30 minutes, especially.

Even though this was an early Ray Harryhausen special-effects effort (and he's interviewed in two features on the DVD), it still looks pretty hokey in spots. But in 1949, this must have been pretty cool. Hey, to be fair, some parts are decently realistic if you aren't too critical. One thing: they are fun to watch!

What made this movie better-than-average was the injection of some humor into this adventure story. Humor, and a bit of sentimentality as Mighty Joe is humanized to a degree. The big ape was funny while sitting in the back of a speeding truck eluding the police, and at the very of the movie he made most viewers laugh.

This movie is much better now that it's on DVD. The transfer is excellent; a nice picture. The commentary and bonus features are done well. Overall, if you liked the 1933 version of King Kong, you'll like this. A lot of the same people were responsible for both films. This is pure entertainment. September 18, 2007

Mighty Joe Young

the predecessor to later movie with Bill Paxton. Same story line but different actors. May 9, 2007

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